What’s a Good SAT Score for the Ivy League?

Many students want to know what they need to score on the SAT to get into an Ivy League school. While there’s no set cutoff for SAT scores, it’s possible to look at the scores of admitted students to get a better idea of what kinds of scores will qualify you for admissions.

In this post, we’ll take a closer look at the SAT scores needed for Ivy League admissions and will break down how these factor into your college admissions chances.

Is There an SAT Cutoff for Ivy League Schools?

SAT scores are just one factor considered in college admissions at Ivy League schools. This being said, sometimes they’re used as an initial screening tool. In these cases, if your application doesn’t meet certain baseline requirements, it might not get more than a cursory glance from some admissions committees. Be prepared to wow the admissions committee in other ways if your SAT scores are lacking.

For these purposes, it’s useful to look at some of the lower average SAT scores for admitted students. At the most competitive Ivy League schools (Columbia, Harvard, Princeton, and Yale) the bottom 25% of accepted students score below about 1470-1490 on the SAT. At the other Ivy League schools (Brown, Cornell, Penn, and Dartmouth) the bottom 25% of accepted students score below about 1400-1430.

Does this mean you definitely won’t get in if you score below these thresholds? Absolutely not. In fact, remember that 25% of accepted students actually scored below these levels. Princeton breaks down SAT statistics even further, revealing that 1.2% of students who scored between 1100-1250 were actually admitted, which isn’t too shabby considering that their overall acceptance rate tends to be less than 6%.

If your SAT scores are below the 25th percentile of admitted students, you’re less likely to be offered an acceptance, but it’s far from impossible. Instead, you’ll need to really impress the admissions committee in other ways to earn a spot in the incoming class.

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Will a Perfect Score Guarantee an Acceptance?

Some students want to know if scoring that elusive 1600 will guarantee them a place in the Ivy League. While a perfect SAT score will definitely help, there is no score that earns you an automatic acceptance to the Ivy League. You’ll still need to earn good grades, perform well in extracurricular activities, and prove that you’re a beneficial member of the community if you want to get accepted to an Ivy League school.

That being said, high SAT scores do tend to be associated with higher acceptance rates. At the most competitive Ivy League schools (Columbia, Harvard, Princeton, and Yale), the 75th percentile of accepted students scored about 1580-1600, while at the other Ivy League schools (Brown, Cornell, Penn, and Dartmouth) the 75th percentile of accepted students scored similarly, above 1570.

While no score can guarantee you acceptance into the Ivy League, scoring well will certainly strengthen your application. In general, scoring above a 1550 will give you a solid shot at the Ivy Leagues.

What’s a Good Target SAT Score for You?

Instead of asking what SAT score is needed to get into an Ivy League, it’s more productive to ask yourself what an appropriate target SAT score is for you. In order to set your target SAT score, you’ll need some baseline information.

You can start with your PSAT score, or your first score on a practice test. Of course, there is still plenty of room to improve on these tests, but you’ll need to know where you’re starting from in order to set an appropriate target. In addition, this starting information provides you with some insight into your specific strengths and weaknesses and will help you to identify where to focus the bulk of your studying.

Once you have a starting score, you’ll need to consider a few different factors to decide how much is realistic for you to improve. Ask yourself these questions to get started:

Have you already expended significant time or energy on SAT prep?

Do you feel that you underperformed significantly on your initial test or PSAT?

Are there specific areas in which you can identify room for improvement?

Does your SAT score fall well below the SAT scores of accepted students at schools that you want to attend?

How much you can expect your SAT score to improve before you apply to colleges will vary significantly depending on your answers to the questions above. In general, the lower you score initially, the more room there is for significant improvements. A student who scores around 1100 can realistically expect that with significant time and energy devoted to studying, his or her score could increase 300 points. Inversely, a student who scores a 1350 might only see a score increase of around 150 points with the same amount of studying and prep work.

SAT Resources

Luckily, many resources are available to help you prepare for the SAT and boost your scores. To get started, check out series of comprehensive SAT guides:

If you’re thinking about retaking the SAT, rest assured that you aren’t alone. Most students who take the SAT end up taking it more than once. For some extra support in ensuring that you achieve your highest score possible, consider the benefits of CollegeVine’s full service, customized SAT Tutoring Program, where the brightest and most qualified tutors in the industry guide students to an average score increase of 140 points.

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Kate Koch-Sundquist is a graduate of Pomona College where she studied sociology, psychology, and writing before going on to receive an M.Ed. from Lesley University. After a few forays into living abroad and afloat (sometimes at the same time), she now makes her home north of Boston where she works as a content writer and, with her husband, raises two young sons who both inspire her and challenge her on a daily basis.